A dozen residents of the El Paso State Supported Living Center died over a 28-month period that began December 2009 and ended in March, according to the center's death records.

All of the deaths were reported as natural causes, but state government records indicate that factors such as dehydration and swallowing large objects also contributed to their demise.

In a couple of cases, families of the residents, who are now speaking up and complaining about alleged problems at the center, said they were told that some of those who died could have been saved if they had been taken to an emergency room sooner.

"These deaths are too many," the No Voice/No Justice coalition said in a statement.

The coalition, which comprises people with ties to the center, is trying to bring attention to myriad concerns related to the center, said Sylvia Burgos, who serves as a contact person for the group. Burgos said the center fired her after she tried to report alleged abuses of residents.

The deaths in slightly more than two years is high compared with about 40 deaths that were recorded over a 25-year period by a former center administrator.

"Every death is of concern to us," said Cecilia Cavuto, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services in Austin, the state agency that oversees the center.

Last month, state Rep.

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Noemi Gonzalez announced that she is working with the department of aging in its investigation of the center.

The 145-bed center at 6700 Delta provides 24-hour residential services, including comprehensive behavioral-treatment services and physician, nursing and dental services. The center houses 126 special-needs residents, and the state is the guardian for about a third of them.

"Many of the residents have lived at the El Paso living center for years, and their loss is felt deeply by staff," Cavuto said. "When a resident passes away, it's heart-wrenching. This is one reason why every death goes through four levels of review, including one from an outside entity."

Cavuto said the agency would like to meet with the coalition's members to discuss their concerns.

"We respect the concerns expressed by members of No Voice/No Justice, and we welcome a discussion with them," Cavuto said. "We want each and every issue that this or any other group raises to be thoroughly investigated by an independent entity."

The No Voice/No Justice coalition's other concerns regarding the residents include:

Sedating female residents in the dental clinic while dental and gynecological exams are conducted at the same time.

Changes in diet, resulting in hunger and weight loss.

Changes in medications given to residents.

Forbidding staff from touching residents to reassure them or using terms of affection toward them.

In recent weeks, nearly 40 people have contacted the El Paso Times to report alleged instances of abuse and neglect at the center, which allegedly grew worse when a new management team took over about 2åyears ago.

A coalition was created because many of them feared that if they complained openly, there would be retaliation, such as having their relatives transferred to a center outside of El Paso, and employee reprimands and terminations. Center employees said they have been ordered not to discuss anything that goes on at the center.

The coalition reported that a recent procedure involving female residents has upset people who voiced their objections to this new practice. One nurse who contacted the Times quit over the dual exams.

"The center started to conduct gyn exams on females in the dental clinic while they are sedated and undergoing dental exams," the "No Voice/No Justice" coalition said in a statement. "The gyn exams were not conducted in the health clinic, which is next to the dental clinic, and the staff should have obtained written consent from the legal guardians before the exams were done."

Cavuto said privacy restrictions do not allow the state to discuss details of specific cases involving residents or the circumstances surrounding any of the deaths.

Citing health journals, Cavuto also said, "People with intellectual disabilities have an increased risk of multiple health conditions compared to the general population ... Evaluation and treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities is challenging, and acute episodes of illness cannot be eliminated. The goal of clinical staff is to identify medical conditions and provide appropriate treatment."

Although state officials won't discuss how residents died, the Times obtained death certificates that contain some details. Family members are questioning some of the information on the certificates.

According to a death certificate, 46-year-old resident Tracy Frazier died July 21, 2010, at University Medical Center. The causes of his death included pulmonary embolism, bronchial pneumonia and pneumonitis, conditions that grow worse over time without proper treatment.

The certificate also said his father, mother and birthplace were unknown. However, the coalition said that information is erroneous because Frazier had parents and a grandmother who cared for him until the grandmother became ill and turned over the guardianship of her grandson to the center.

Frazier's death certificate states that Olga Arciniega was his legal guardian. Arciniega was an administrator for the state center before she retired in 2010.

"I did not see Tracy's death certificate, and I was not involved in preparing it," Arciniega said. "During my time with the center, which was 25 years, we had approximately 40 funerals for our residents."

Arciniega declined to comment on whether the recent streak of deaths is normal or unusual.

Frazier was cremated and his ashes were deposited at a crematory in Sunland Park. According to the Times news archives, Frazier was injured in 2005 when the center's van that was transporting him crashed. He had to use a wheelchair after the wreck.

Before the accident, center staff and former staffers said Frazier was an excellent dancer who liked to imitate the late Michael Jackson's "moonwalk" move.

Relatives of other residents who died said they were told by hospital staff and doctors that their family members were not taken to the hospital in a timely manner.

Minerva Cordova, 49, died Feb. 29, also at University Medical Center. Her death certificate states she had surgery to remove an intestinal obstruction and suffered damage to her lungs.

"We got a call letting us know she was taken to the hospital and that she was constipated," said Ana Guerrero, one of Cordova's relatives. "We were told she had a perforated colon. She was taken to the emergency room for surgery, and died two days later. A nurse at the ER told us her death could have been avoided if she had been take to the hospital as soon as she started to complain of the pain."

"Later on," Guerrero said, "we learned that she had been in agony and was crying about a week before they took her to the hospital. When we were notified she was already having the surgery."

"One time we visited her, she had bedsores," Guerrero said. "We always inspected her body for anything unusual. We fed her, and sometimes she would shed a tear or smile."

Bedsores develop when residents with limited mobility are not moved often enough.

Cordova had been at the center for about 10 years. Initially, she was housed at the state center in Abilene, which made it difficult for her relatives to visit frequently.

Cordova's family said she contracted meningitis when she was 6 years old, which led to her developmental problems.

"She could not talk, walk or speak. She could sit up in a chair or wheelchair," Guerrero said. "We got her a flat-screen TV so she could watch, which disappeared after her death. Someone from the center finally brought (the TV) to us after we kept asking a lot of questions."

Perla Rodriguez, 41, died Dec. 25, 2011, after she was disconnected from a life-support system. She was considered a high-level resident because she was able to communicate with others, did her own laundry, set the table for meals and did other chores.

Her parents surrendered guardianship to the center because they were elderly and Rodriguez tended to wander off without anyone knowing where she was.

"They told us she had developed some kind of infection," her sister Angie Rodriguez said. "We brought it to the center's attention that her urine was bloody and had a strange smell to it. At the time, our mother said that there was something wrong with Perla. A doctor at the hospital told us they didn't get Perla to the hospital in time."

"To this day, my parents can't accept that she died," Rodriguez said. "She was so active and could do many things by herself. Perla was good friends with another resident who was at about her level and whose parents took her out of the state center and put her in a different place."

Rodriguez said the center's explanation was that Perla Rodriguez had fallen and injured her back.

"The infection she had may have been sepsis," Angie Rodriguez said.

Sepsis is a blood infection that can be caused by such things as a lung infection, such as pneumonia, a urinary tract infection or appendicitis. Treatment usually requires hospitalization.

Thomas "Tommy" Bostick was 43 when he died Jan. 24, 2010, at the state center, according to the death certificate signed by former County Medical Examiner Dr. Paul Shrode.

About two months before his death, Bostick, who had pica, a disorder that causes some people to eat non-food, had swallowed a large item that became lodged in his intestines. He vomited frequently and was acting irrationally.

The center staff said his symptoms were due to allergies. However, according to state records, a doctor from outside the center ordered an X-ray after examining him, spotted the item he had swallowed, and recommended immediate surgery.

Bostick was sent back to the center after the surgery and died the next day. The official cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest.

John Conner, 47, another resident, died Jan. 6, 2010, died of pneumonia at University Medical Center, according to his death certificate. However, other state documents said his oxygen therapy at the center was not administered correctly and he was not taken to the hospital when his blood-oxygen saturation level began to drop precipitously.

U.S. Justice Department investigators, who are supposed to be monitoring the El Paso State Supported Living Center because it is out compliance in many areas, questioned the center about why Claudia Aguilera, 44, who died May 20, 2011, was not taken to the hospital for treatment; she died at the state center.

According to Aguilera's death certificate, she died of sepsis and a heart attack.

On May 15, the center called an ambulance for resident Ruben Martinez, who had symptoms of anorexia, vomiting and dehydration.

Officials could not explain why residents who require close monitoring -- including recording vitals, checking for bowel movements, eating properly and drinking fluids -- would develop constipation or dehydration to the extent that they would require hospitalization.

Residents who are mobile run into other hazards. Officials confirmed that last month a female resident was found in the middle of Delta Drive as vehicles tried to avoid hitting her.

"We are aware of an incident that occurred at the facility this week that is similar to what you described and is currently being investigated by (the Department of Family Protective Services)," said Cavuto, the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services spokeswoman.

Diana Washington Valdez may be reached at dvaldez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6140.

DeathsResidents of the El Paso State Supported Living Center who died between 2008 and the present:2012